ACCAN recently submitted to the Australian Treasury’s Pre-Budget consultation to provide our views on priorities for the 2025-2026 Budget. Our submission calls on the Australian Government to address the barriers faced by communications consumers in accessing affordable, reliable, competitive and accessible telecommunications services.
In our submission, ACCAN recommends the Australian Government:
- Allocate funding to establish a concessional broadband service for households receiving Commonwealth financial support.
- Allocate funding to establish an independent plan comparison tool for the telecommunications market to assist consumers in finding an affordable telecommunications service.
- Establish a National Device Bank to provide free refurbished internet devices to a wide range of consumers.
- Resource and expand the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman to become a Digital Communications Industry Ombudsman Scheme.
- Allocate funding to a consumer voice for digital communications policy matters.
- Continue and expand co-designed community Wi-Fi programs to support remote First Nations communities.
- Expand the Peri-Urban Mobile Program and Mobile Black Spot Program to support more regions and communities.
- Establish direct regulation for telecommunications sales practices.
- Develop a long-term funding arrangement for the Accessible Telecoms service.
- Allocate funding to ensure government websites are compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA and successor standards.
Download: 
ACCAN submission to 2025-26 Pre-Budget Consultation449.13 KB
Download:
ACCAN submission to 2025-26 Pre-Budget Consultation240.43 KB